Synchronous control apparatus, synchronous imaging apparatus, synchronous control method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12328378-B2
Application number	US-202318457256-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2023
Priority date	Aug 31, 2022
Publication date	Jun 10, 2025
Grant date	Jun 10, 2025

Abstract

A synchronous control apparatus includes an internal clock, a plurality of internal routes that are internal routes through which a synchronization packet passes as a part of a communication route and a transmission or reception time of the synchronization packet is acquired from the internal clock, and are internal routes provided in such a manner as to correspond to communication routes of a plurality of systems that are independent of each other, a synchronous control unit configured to synchronize the internal clock using the synchronization packet, a detection unit configured to detect abnormality of the communication route, a route control unit configured to, in a case where abnormality of the communication route has been detected, connect an internal route of a system in which abnormality has been detected to an internal route of a normal system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A synchronous control apparatus comprising:
an internal clock;
a plurality of internal routes that are internal routes through which a synchronization packet passes as a part of a communication route and a transmission or reception time of the synchronization packet is acquired from the internal clock, and are internal routes provided in such a manner as to correspond to communication routes of a plurality of systems that are independent of each other;
a synchronous control unit configured to synchronize the internal clock using the synchronization packet;
a detection unit configured to detect abnormality of the communication route;
a route control unit configured to, in a case where abnormality of the communication route has been detected, connect an internal route of a system in which abnormality has been detected to an internal route of a normal system; and
a holding calculation unit configured to calculate a holding time of a synchronization packet that is based on the transmission or reception time, for each route through which a synchronization packet passes, and add the holding time to a synchronization packet that passes through a same route as a route for which the holding time has been calculated.

2. The synchronous control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the synchronous control unit is positioned at a midpoint on the internal route, and synchronizes the internal clock using a synchronization packet transmitted from an upstream side of the communication route, and
wherein the route control unit controls an internal route existing on a downstream side of the synchronous control unit.

3. The synchronous control apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the synchronous control units and the internal clocks are respectively included for the plurality of systems, and
wherein a time is provided from an internal clock of a normal system to an internal route of a system in which abnormality of the communication route has been detected.

4. The synchronous control apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the synchronous control unit is positioned at a midpoint on the internal route, and synchronizes the internal clock using a synchronization packet transmitted from an upstream side of the communication route, and
wherein the route control unit controls an internal route existing on an upstream side of the synchronous control unit.

5. The synchronous control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein one common set of the synchronous control unit and the internal clock is included for internal routes of the plurality of systems.

6. The synchronous control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in a case where an internal route of a system in which abnormality has been detected connects with an internal route of a normal system, an apparatus that has transmitted the synchronization packet and a system to which the synchronization packet has been transmitted are stored in association with each other, and a synchronization packet addressed to the apparatus is transmitted on a communication route of a system associated with the apparatus.

7. A synchronous imaging apparatus comprising:
the synchronous control apparatus according to claim 1 ; and
an imaging unit configured to execute image capturing in synchronization with the internal clock.

8. A synchronous control method of a synchronous control apparatus including an internal clock, a plurality of internal routes that are internal routes through which a synchronization packet passes as a part of a communication route, and a transmission or reception time of the synchronization packet is acquired from the internal clock, and are internal routes provided in such a manner as to correspond to communication routes of a plurality of systems that are independent of each other, a synchronous control unit configured to synchronize the internal clock using the synchronization packet, and a detection unit configured to detect abnormality of the communication route, the synchronous control method comprising:
in a case where abnormality of the communication route has been detected, connecting an internal route of a system in which abnormality has been detected, to an internal route of a normal system; and
calculating a holding time of a synchronization packet that is based on the transmission or reception time, for each route through which a synchronization packet passes, and adding the holding time to a synchronization packet that passes through a same route as a route for which the holding time has been calculated.

9. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program causing a synchronous control apparatus including an internal clock, a plurality of internal routes that are internal routes through which a synchronization packet passes as a part of a communication route, and a transmission or reception time of the synchronization packet is acquired from the internal clock, and are internal routes provided in such a manner as to correspond to communication routes of a plurality of systems that are independent of each other, a synchronous control unit configured to synchronize the internal clock using the synchronization packet, and a detection unit configured to detect abnormality of the communication route, to execute a control method, the control method comprising:
in a case where abnormality of the communication route has been detected, connecting an internal route of a system in which abnormality has been detected, to an internal route of a normal system; and
calculating a holding time of a synchronization packet that is based on the transmission or reception time, for each route through which a synchronization packet passes, and adding the holding time to a synchronization packet that passes through a same route as a route for which the holding time has been calculated.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Tsuboi Satoru

Classifications

• H03L7/0816

  the controlled phase shifter and the frequency- or phase-detection arrangement being connected to a common input · CPC title

• H04N5/04

  Synchronising (for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56) · CPC title

• H04J3/0641

  Change of the master or reference, e.g. take-over or failure of the master · CPC title

• H04J3/14

  Monitoring arrangements {(for SDH/SONET rings H04J3/085)} · CPC title

• H04J3/0667

  Bidirectional timestamps, e.g. NTP or PTP for compensation of clock drift and for compensation of propagation delays (arrangements for monitoring round trip delays in packet switching networks H04L43/0864) · CPC title